John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale

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John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale
Coat of arms of John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale

John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale KG PC (born May 24, 1616 in Lethington , † August 24, 1682 in Tunbridge Wells ) was a Scottish nobleman and politician.

Life

John Maitland comes from an old Berwickshire and East Lothian family . His father, John Maitland, was an eminent lawyer of his day, was President of the Scottish Parliament and was made Earl of Lauderdale in 1624 . The poet Sir Richard Maitland was his great-grandfather.

Maitland was part of the Covenanters at the beginning of the English Civil War . However, he sought a negotiated solution and was therefore accepted by the king in the Privy Council in 1644 . The following year, when his father died, he inherited his Scottish title of nobility as 2nd Earl of Lauderdale.

He advised the king to reject the proposals of the Independents , and in 1647 was one of the Engagers who signed a treaty with King Charles I on his recognition of the Covenanters. In return, the king should receive support from Scotland. These troops were defeated by Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Preston the following year.

Maitland was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1651; he remained in custody until 1660. Freed, Maitland went into exile with Charles II on the continent. After the Restoration, he was appointed Minister for Scotland and one of the king's chief advisers. He was one of the most influential members of the notorious Cabal Ministry and also asserted himself against an indictment proposed by Parliament in 1674 against him.

In 1672 he was raised to Duke of Lauderdale and accepted into the Order of the Garter as a Knight Companion . In 1674 he was also given the English titles Earl of Guilford and Baron Petersham , which made him a member of the English House of Lords .

In Scotland he was generally hated by his absolutist principles. However, the king held on to him for a long time against massive criticism from Scotland and the English Parliament. From 1679, however, Maitland's health deteriorated and he lost influence and offices. He died in August 1682. Walter Scott described him in Old mortality .

family

Maitland was first married to Lady Anne Home, a daughter of Alexander Home, 1st Earl of Home. He had a daughter with her. The couple lived separately from 1669 until the wife died in 1671.

Since 1669 Maitland had an affair with Elizabeth Tollemache, 2nd Countess of Dysart , whom he married less than four months after the death of his wife. He had no children from this marriage.

Since Maitland had no male descendants, the dukedom and his English titles became extinct with his death. The Scottish earliest dignity passed to his brother Charles Maitland .

literature

Web links

Commons : John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Powicke & Fryde: Handbook of British Chronology. Second Edition, London, 1961, p. 480
predecessor Office successor
New title created Duke of Lauderdale
1672-1682 		Title expired
John Maitland Earl of Lauderdale
1645-1682 		Charles Maitland
New title created Earl of Guilford
1674-1682 		Title expired
personal data
SURNAME Maitland, John, 1st Duke of Lauderdale
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Maitland, John, 2nd Earl of Lauderdale
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish nobleman and politician
DATE OF BIRTH May 24, 1616
PLACE OF BIRTH Lethington
DATE OF DEATH August 24, 1682
Place of death Tunbridge Wells